The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-13

sssny. o ys.s 10. appealing TO preelden
Pferoe for the interposftion Of the military and
naval oommsndsnts Of the Federal forces OF
the Psoine coast This request was refused b.
Secretary uarcy. In despatch based on thu
opinion OF Attorney General Caleb Gushing
but tho Governor did not withdraw his OWE
proclamation until Nov Q. OF the course taken
BIZ Gov. johnson at this extraordinary crisis
Mr.. Bancroft thinks that Il demonstrates "hif
unftness for tho emergency. his weakness as q
ruler. hia duplicity 90 politician. and his dis
honesty a. . man. He flrst tacitly sanctions
the actions Of the Vigilance Committee By
oounsslling with Thorn 10 to the best method Of
removing the unhanged Villains, and By sdvisina
the Sheriff TO Yield MP Casey and Cora; then. ct
the instisation Of bloodthirsty advisers. ho ex-
hausts himself In efforts to doluge the streets
zenh His proclamation was Ill advised. Illegal,
and filed with false statements. Too coward
" TO oppose tho Vigilance Committee at the
outset too tyrsnnioal 70 give It his adhesion
when its manifest object was the reestablish-
msnt OF popular Sovereignty. Gov. johnson
secured the friendship Of no good man on
either side, and was loft In fun enjoyment OF
the hearty, unanimous contempt OF both sides. !"
OF the so-cslled Law and Order party, which
johnson and his successor, Weller. professed
to represent. Mr. Bancroft docs not hesitate to
say that, In 1856. and for three years after
ward It was "a society for tho suppression Of
virtue, an organization for the promotion Of
murder"
The San Francisco Vigilance Committee Of
1855. like that Of 1851. hanged only four men
and banished only about thirty. We have seen
how Casey and Cora were dealt with: the other
tvo ~ thon I'D
Hetherington and Brace. Tho former. who had
long enjoyed impunity. was arrested and tried
by tho Vigilants for the robbery OF one South
wick In the previous year. for the shooting and
robbing Of . Mr.. Scharn. and. thirdly. for the
murder OF J. B. West In June. 1855. Hcthering-
ton, who, as his name shows was an English
man. bora Q still more infamous character.
having committed many crimes. among others
the murder Of Dr. Baldwin in 1853. and that Of
DR.. Randall ON July "A. 1856. Within few
moments after porpetrating the latter homi-
eide. Hetherington was seized by detachment
Of Vigflsnts and conveyed to their headquar-
tiers. Within four days he,and Brace had been
summArily tried. found guilty. and sentenced
to bo hanged. The sentence was carried out
ON July 20. and It may be well to recall
the circumstances Of the execution. in
order to show how hopeless It would
to try to obstruct tho action Of tho committee:
"A scaffold was erected on Davis street. be-
tween Sacramento and Commercial. and .
force Of Vigilants ION this occasion numbering
about 1,8O0) was called out under arms. By
O'Clock an immense. concourse OF spectators
had assembled, filling the streets. balconies,
Windows and roofs for four or i've squares
round. Infantry companies were marched out
and posted all various points, commanding
every avenue Of approach to the committee
building. Beyond these the cavalry were
stationed. Loaded brass cannon were placed
at every corner Of the square. and the gunners
stood BY with torches ready lighted. Thus tho
military surrounded the entire block within
which was situated tho Vigilance Committee
building The soaffold rose In dense square
Of soldiers four or i've feet deep. All the while
the scafrold was building the vigtlant forces
ing and countermsrchinG. all under Marshall
Doane, with aides de-camp riding hither and
thither." Evidently rescue Of the doomed
men by the State and city authorities was en-
irely impracticable.
Another interesting incident in the record Of
tho Vigilance Committee Of 1886 was the ar
rest trial, and suicide In prison Of the notorious
blsckleg and ballot-box suffer. Yankee Sulli-
van. This fellow was an Irish prize fighter,
whose only claim to the appellation " Yankee"
came from his having worn in one OF his fights
9 handkerchief with tho American flag painted
on It He was Sydney convict who had es-
capped to New Zealand. and thence. when the
gold fever broke out. had. like many another
rufilan. made his way to San Francisco. The
erimo for which he was arrested was ballot
box stuhlng, and before his death he made
confession containing some startling revela-
kfNn Nwlth nd % = nS
him and his scoompilces at the Preside polls.
He was sentenced. not to death. but to expa-
triation; yet Sullivan. four days afterward. ap-
parently believing that the committee would
discover some OF his moro fragrant crimes. and
hang him after all. out his throat In his CELL It
was said. indeed that the suicide was really
due to the denial Of the stimulsnts to which
the prisoner had long been accustomed. his
normal indulgence having been from fifty to
eighty drinks day. With such habits II is
not perhaps surprising that. under the sudden
substitution Of tea and coffee. his nervous sys-
tenn should have been sensibly depressed.
The sentence OF expatriation. was. as We have
seen. applied to only about thirty. 3" It amount
3D." says the author, "in most cases, sim
ply TO free passage Ito the Sandwich Islands,
Panama, or the Atlantic Statesl for some deyo-
tee OF the derringer. election bludGeon- brand
sher. or other social vulture. who. having ter.
minated his career in California, and wrought
there al the mischief possible. now sought an
Other cline whore. unknown to the police he
might begin anew. Travel being prescribed.
and tho noxious Individual being out OF money
as those who live upon the public usually are
he was duly provided for and escorted to tho
vessel by tho committee. 30 that verdict
like tho following: Mr.. Cunningham Isuch was
the name OF one Of the men condemned to han